S/S Balance bike ? (taking pedals off reg bike?)

[fivi2]

Hi - I didn't want to hijack the other balance bike threads. I was wondering if it is possible to take the pedals off a regular bike to make a balance bike? With twins, we'll be buying 2 of everything, so anything to make it less expensive!

Anyone know whether it can be done?

eta: the title shouls have said S/O - not sure how to fix that!

[o_mom]

I looked into this when we were getting a balance bike. For us it was not worth the hassle. DH looked into it. He does all his own bike repairs and maintanance so he knows his way around a bike. The problem is that you can't just take the pedals off - you have to take the chain and sprockets off too. Otherwise you have a dangerous and messy situation. You would also have to put spacers in to fill where you removed parts. Lastly, when I took DS1 to a store and put him on the smallest bike with pedals, he could not touch the ground with the seat on the lowest setting. We ended up getting a KinderBike from the outlet and it wasn't too bad. If you are going to try it, I would suggest getting a garage sale or thrift store bike to try it on.

[fivi2]

thanks for the info!

[LBW]

I think Trek makes a kid-sized bike designed to be used as a balance bike first and then later with pedals.